Garfield County, Nebraska Eviction Risk: Low

Garfield County sits in north-central Nebraska's Loup River valley, anchored entirely by the small city of Burwell - the county seat and only incorporated municipality. With a total population of 848 and a renter share of just 24.7%, this is one of Nebraska's most sparsely populated rural counties. The Eviction Risk Map scores Garfield County at 3.4/10 (Low), placing it 36th out of 93 Nebraska counties by eviction risk, with 35 counties carrying higher risk and 57 carrying lower risk. For context, the Nebraska statewide average sits at 3.6/10. Garfield County's single city, Burwell, scores 3.4/10 - consistent with the county average given there are no other cities pulling the spread in either direction.

The county's low eviction risk reflects conditions that are structurally favorable for landlords by rural Nebraska standards. Average rent in Garfield County is $460 per month - among the lowest in the state - and the rent burden sits at 23.7%, meaning the typical renter household spends roughly a quarter of income on housing. That figure falls below the 30% threshold commonly used to define cost-stressed renters, which reduces the frequency of nonpayment situations that trigger formal eviction proceedings. The poverty rate of 15.3% is notable for a rural county of this size, but it has not translated into elevated eviction filing rates, partly because the renter population is small in absolute terms: with only 24.7% renter occupancy across 848 residents, Garfield County has a limited rental market overall. Landlords here typically operate small portfolios of single-family homes and modest multi-unit properties, and disputes that do arise are often resolved informally before reaching the courthouse.

Nebraska's legal framework under the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1401 et seq.) governs all residential tenancies in Garfield County. The state requires a 7-day notice to pay rent or vacate for nonpayment, a 14-day notice to cure for lease violations, and a 30-day no-cause notice for month-to-month terminations. Nebraska preempts local governments from enacting rent control or rent stabilization ordinances, so no local rent restrictions apply in Garfield County. There is no statewide just-cause eviction requirement, meaning landlords are not obligated to provide a specific reason when issuing a no-cause termination at the end of a lease term. Source-of-income discrimination protections do not apply at the state level either, leaving tenant screening decisions largely in the landlord's hands. Court filing fees for eviction actions range from $85 to $200 in Nebraska, and sheriff's lockout fees run $40 to $150 - a relatively low cost of enforcement compared to high-population urban counties where contested cases can stretch timelines significantly. Uncontested evictions in Nebraska typically resolve in 21 to 45 days; contested matters can run 45 to 100 days.

Garfield County's Low eviction risk rating reflects a combination of low average rent ($460/mo), a modest rent burden of 23.7%, and Nebraska eviction laws's landlord-friendly legal baseline - no rent control, no just-cause requirement, and short notice periods. The single incorporated city, Burwell, accounts for the entire county risk profile at 3.4/10.